We are delighted to invite Year 13 (Lower Sixth) students from Northern Ireland and their teachers to attend a residential summer school at St Catherine’s College (Catz) and New College from Sunday 28th June until Wednesday 1st July 2020.
Since 2015, the summer school has given Northern Irish students the opportunity to experience life at the University of Oxford. Students stay in College accommodation (either New College or Catz), eat meals in the College dining halls, and meet current undergraduates, whilst also exploring the beautiful city of Oxford. Students will have the chance to take part in classes and tutorials in a chosen subject, such as Computer Science, Economics & Management, Engineering, English, French, Geography, History, Mathematics, Medicine, Music, Law and Physics. The summer school finishes with the University of Oxford Open Day on Wednesday 1st July 2020, during which students are encouraged to attend departmental events and visit other colleges.
There is also a full programme of events for teachers, including Q&A sessions with tutors.
Apart from travel expenses between Northern Ireland and Oxford, the residential summer school will be free for all participants. We are happy to offer free accommodation and meals until Thursday 2nd or Friday 3rd July for participants who wish to take part in one or both of the University of Oxford Open Days.
The summer school is an ideal opportunity for prospective applicants and teachers to find out more about life at Oxford.
Bookings will open later in the year but in the meantime, you can register your interest in the form below.
Schools are welcome to nominate a maximum of four students. Students must be accompanied by a teacher. We recommend that this is a teacher who is involved in sixth form teaching, rather than support staff. This course will be CPD accredited for teachers. We would be happy for schools to make joint arrangements if one teacher is able to take responsibility for students from two different schools (as long as parents are made aware of this).
For more information about our other outreach activities, please see here.
Typical Programme of Events
Student Programme
Sunday 28th June
| Time | Event |
| 2.00pm onwards | Arrival & Registration |
| 4.00pm | Welcome Session |
| 5.00pm | Tour of New College and St Catherine’s College |
| 6.30pm | Dinner |
| 7.30pm | Introduction to Oxford |
| 8.30pm | Quiz Night, led by NI Undergraduates |
| Monday 29th June | |
| Time | Event |
| 8.00am – 9.00am | Breakfast |
| 9.00am | The Oxford Admissions Process |
| 10.00am | Break |
| 10.30am | Personal Statement Workshops |
| 11.45am | Q&A with current undergraduates |
| 12.30pm | Lunch |
| 1.30pm | Punting |
| 3.30pm | Mock Interview / Interview Workshop |
| 4.45pm | Walking Tour of Oxford with undergraduates (finishing with shopping at the Westgate Centre) |
| 6.30pm | Dinner |
| 7.30pm | Games at University Parks followed by ice-cream at G&Ds ice-cream parlour |
| Tuesday 30th June | |
| Time | Event |
| 8.00am – 9.00am | Breakfast |
| 9.30am – 11.00am | Tutorial 1 (work will be set in this tutorial for the afternoon session). |
| 11.15am | Free Time |
| 12.00pm | Lunch |
| 1.00pm | Preparation work for Tutorial 2 |
| 2.15pm | Tutorial 2 |
| 3.30pm | Session with Careers Service |
| 4.30pm | Free Time |
| 5.00pm | Concluding Comments / How to get the best out of the Open Days |
| 5.45pm | Free Time |
| 7.00pm | Farewell Formal Dinner |
| 9.00pm | JCR – Games Console Tournament / Pool / Table Tennis |
Wednesday 1st July (University Open Day)
| Time | Event |
| 8.00am – 9.00am | Breakfast |
Teacher Programme
Sunday 28th June
| Time | Event |
| 2.00pm onwards | Arrival & Registration |
| 4.00pm | Welcome Session |
| 5.00pm | Tour of St Catherine’s College |
| 6.30pm | Dinner |
| 7.30pm | Our experiences of Oxford: Led by current undergraduates |
| Monday 29th June | |
| Time | Event |
| 8am – 9.00am | Breakfast |
| 9.00am | The Oxford Admissions Process |
| 9.30am | Break |
| 10.00am | How to prepare your students for Oxford: Sharing of best practice (please bring along examples of how students are prepared in your school). |
| 10.45am | Q&A with tutors |
| 11.30am | Free Time |
| 12.30pm | Lunch |
| 1.30pm | Punting – We ask that all teachers attend and supervise this activity |
| 3.30pm | Mock Interview / Interview Workshop |
| 4.45pm | Walking Tour of Oxford with undergraduates (finishing with shopping at the Westgate Centre) |
| 6.30pm | Dinner |
| 7.30pm | Games at University Parks followed by ice-cream at G&Ds ice-cream parlour (we ask that you supervise your students during this). |
| Tuesday 30th June | |
| Time | Event |
| 8.00am – 9.00am | Breakfast |
| 9.30am | Reference writing |
| 10.15am | Alice Parrott: Student Recruitment – University of Oxford
(Opportunity to book visits with Alice for the next academic year) |
| 11.00am | Free Time |
| 12.00pm | Lunch |
| 1.00pm | Free Time |
| 2.30pm | Session with Careers Service |
| 3.30pm | Session with The Brilliant Club / Oxplore / UNIQ |
| 5.00pm | Concluding Comments / How to get the best out of the Open Days |
| 5.45pm | Free Time |
| 7.00pm | Farewell Formal Dinner |
| 9.00pm | Coffee and refreshments for teachers / farewells |
Wednesday 1st July (University Open Day)
| Time | Event |
| 8.00am – 9.00am | Breakfast |
Register your Interest
To register your interest in the Summer School, please fill out the below form to receive updates on when booking opens.